Ask the Geezers

What if I Started at the Wrong Place?

Question :What should one do after realizing that one has been hired in wrong/less band (MTS) and thus is not getting salary as he should rightly get?

Mike: First, there is a question why he thinks he was hired into the wrong level. We try to hire people by looking at the total number of years of related experience. The word “related” means only experience that can be applied to the position he is being hired into. The leveling tool is generally measuring people's education background and total years of related experience. If some background was hidden from us (for example, he has a Ph.D. Degree which was not in the resume.), he should set it straight by providing evidence to prove the experience.

Second, we can't go back and change the past. If someone was hired as MTS1 with a Ph.D. degree plus 5 years of experience, that IS a problem. We may be able to fix it now or later depending on the environment of the organization.

After reviewing the person's background, another point to consider is how the person has been performing since he/she comes on board. That can tell us whether his performance has proved he is qualified for a higher level position. If not, he is probably hired at the right level. In any case, the conversation should always start with his immediate manager.

Sin-Yaw : First of all, there are no fixed rules on what credentials must be hired for certain job level. Typical qualifications -- education, years of experiences, domain knowledge, etc. -- are simply guidelines. What's most important is whether the person can contribute at the expected level for the job or not. So, strictly speaking, once a person is accepted to a certain level, that will be the definition of the "right level" for the person.

After one has started working at Sun, he enters the promotion process. If you were hired at the wrong level, it should be easy for you to demonstrate that your contribution/productivity is clearly above that of those who are at the same level as you. And that should earn you a "promotion" quickly.

Amiram: When the person was hired, a contract was signed. In the contract there should have been, among other details, the salary. It seems impossible that a person was hired into the wrong band, and his/her salary is inadequate. But suppose there has been a mistake. If all parties agree that the person's band is wrong, then we have the HR tools to fix it. It's the same with salary. He should ask himself the question, is it possible that not all parties involved are in agreement?

Posted at 02:16PM Dec 25, 2006 by Wen Michelle Lei in General  |  Comments[0]